We are less than a week away from the highly anticipated Final Fantasy VII Rebirth PC release on January 23rd, and just when it seemed the surprises were over, developer Square Enix announced that the game is officially Steam Deck verified.

The initial announcement of the PC port came during The Game Awards 2024 live stream, where it was revealed that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, much like its predecessor Final Fantasy VII Remake, would be coming to PC. The port promised new optimizations and upgrades, including enhanced textures, improved lighting, and Nvidia DLSS support.

Since then, we’ve received numerous details about the PC version, including hardware specifications and a trailer showcasing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth's updated graphics. These upgrades offer gamers the opportunity to explore the world beyond Midgar's borders in stunning 4K resolution at 120 FPS. And while you won’t be getting that kind of performance on the Steam Deck, support has at least been confirmed.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will Run on Steam Deck

The announcement was made on the official Square Enix website with the title “FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH is now Steam Deck Verified!”, assuring fans that upon launch, they will be able to play the critically acclaimed RPG anywhere they like, thanks to the Steam Deck. Additionally, the official X (formerly Twitter) account for Final Fantasy 7 shared footage of the game running on the console, featuring a brief snippet of the game's early flashback sequence in Nibelheim.

While we are yet to see how well the game runs on the handheld console, players on supported systems will have the option to choose from three different graphics presets:

• Minimum: 1920×1080 at 30 FPS on low graphics settings
• Recommended: 1920×1080 at 30 FPS on medium graphics settings
• Ultra: 3840×2160 at 60 FPS on ultra graphics settings

It’s worth noting that the Steam Deck has a native resolution of 1200 x 800, and we can only speculate that it will be targeting something close to the ‘minimum’ settings. DLSS support is confirmed, but there is no mention of FSR. As the Deck is based on AMD hardware, Team Red’s upscaling tech has become a useful tool for those looking for smoother performance on the handheld. For example, it was practically essential for running God of War Ragnarok on the Steam Deck, but lack of support for FFVII Rebirth might end up being a dealbreaker for gamers seeker smooth performance.

The last thing to touch on is the custom Chocobo cover for the Steam Deck, shown below. However, even Square Enix admits that “it's probably not the best idea to cover an electronic device in warming Chocobo feathers” – so they made them removable.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth launches next Thursday and can be purchased via Steam or the Epic Games Store at a 30% discount (valid until February 5). Director Naoki Hamaguchi and producer Yoshinori Kitase also mentioned that Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will be available in a twin pack for those catching up on the series.

About the Author

Hassam Nasir

Hassam boasts over seven years of professional experience as a dedicated PC hardware reviewer and writer.